Anya Taylor-Joy, the New Indie Queen
Thanks to a role in the low-budget horror movie The Witch, 20-year-old actress Anya Taylor-Joy is ready to take on the worlds of film and fashion.
Until the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, no one in Hollywood had heard of Anya Taylor-Joy, a wide-eyed teenager from Miami, Florida starring in the low-budget horror movie The Witch. But that was just the beginning of things for the young model-turned-actress. “Everything changed really, really quickly after that movie and it’s continuing to change,” she says. “I went to Sundance and didn’t really go home.”
Now, Taylor-Joy is starring Morgan, a sci-fi film produced by Ridley Scott, and Barry, the Barack Obama biopic that premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and regularly wears brands like Chanel and Gucci. For these reasons, we crowned her the new indie queen in W‘s Royals portfolio, and paired her with actress Elle Fanning, an equally stylish teenage actress who, too, i poised beyond her years.
You have those beautiful eyes and they’re so far apart. When you were a kid, did they make you self conscious? I can definitely remember when Facebook was a thing and I was never aware that my eyes were far apart and then someone tagged me in a picture with a fish and they were like, “This is you ’cause your eyes are like here.” And I was really upset about it and I didn’t enjoy it and I kind of stopped looking in mirrors for a very long time. I still don’t really spend a lot of time in front of mirrors because I don’t really have to deal with my face. Unfortunately, y’all do.
I will say though that it’s interesting in sports because I became very aware that when I was smaller, my head was a lot more compact and so my eyes really were on both sides of my face. It became common knowledge in the playground that if you wanted me to catch a ball, you had to throw it at the side of my head ’cause if you just threw it straight here, I’d just be like, “Oh, my God. What? What happened? What’s going on?” And now it’s like my face has grown a bit more. I’m kind of growing into myself. I’m a bit less awkward. Though I’m still growing a lot. I’m still getting taller – I grew like two inches last year. I don’t really know what to do with all of my limbs.
How old were you when you were scouted? I got scouted when I was 16, almost 17, and it was something that had never entered my thoughts. I never thought I could be a model. I was such a tomboy growing up and I’ve never really been into makeup or anything like that, so it was really surprising, but I definitely saw it as an in for acting.
Did you start out wanting to be an actress when you were young? Yeah. I know it sounds really precious and pretentious, but I can’t actually remember deciding to want to be an actor. I just knew that I had too many feelings and I had to kind of get them out in some way.
Were you in school plays? Yeah. My first school play was Perkin and the Pastry Cook that my primary school put on and I played a boy, and it was so much fun, and I’d love to play a boy again. I think that would be great.
Tell me about the audition for The Witch. I actually had about three auditions. In the original script, [the character] Thomasin was described as very plain-faced and very normal looking. I know look weird, so I walked into the audition and I saw this girl and she was perfect. I walked out and was like, “No, it’s not for me. I’m not gonna get it. That girl’s gonna get it instantly.” And then I met with Rob [Eggers, the director] and I was really emotional and kind of hysterical because the script had really gotten to me. I marched straight up to him and was like, “I don’t really know my lines and I’m really overwhelmed, but do you still want me to read?” And he was like, “Yeah, I do.” And then I did a chemistry test and it just it felt right.
Did you feel yourself getting any particular supernatural qualities while you were making the film? Did it start to affect you personally? We all definitely took it home with us because we had done something so intimate, and quiet, and close. When we left, we didn’t really talk about it with anybody. We didn’t talk about it with our family or with our friends. We just kept it within the coven, I guess. But I think making the entirety of the film was kind of supernatural because it was so difficult to make. We had very little budget. Everything in nature was going against us. The dolly was sinking so deep into the mud and getting through that shoot was tough and kind of supernatural.
So, tell me about The Witch premiere at Sundance. The Witch premiered at Sundance in the Eccles Theater, which was bizarre. It’s such a big movie theater, and especially, it being the first time you kind of see your face that big on screen. You could say that’s a bit self-centered, to see it that way, but it’s true. I had no idea how many close-ups there were in the movie because I was kind of unaware of the camera and so I grabbed Rob when we finished the movie and I was just like, “Dude, why didn’t you tell me? Like it’s right here all the time?”
What was it like after that screening? Did you just get mobbed after that? I did legitimately get mobbed after the first screening, but not in a good way. I was pushed up against the wall by these two women that were like they were infuriated by the fact that we had abused the children and I didn’t really know how to react.They were yelling at me and so close to my face, so I guess it’s good that the film had a visceral reaction – I was like, “It’s play pretend. We would never hurt the kids.” Everything changed really, really quickly after that movie and it’s continuing to change. I went to Sundance and didn’t really go home. It’s been an insane ride, really wonderful.
Who’s your cinematic crush? Katherine Moennig. She’s just the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life. I watched The L Word and she’s just stunning, but I actually I knew her from this show that my sister was really into, Dawson’s Creek. After Dawson’s Creek, they did this show that only ran for a season called Young Americans, and in it she has really short hair and she dresses like she’s pretending to be a boy and I was like, “Whoa, who is that chick? She’s so cool and she has a motor bike.” And so I always kind of had a big girl crush on her, and Eddie Redmayne, you know, tall, skinny, ginger, English. Winning, freckles, all of the freckles
Were you an early Eddie convert? Yeah, I was, actually. I can’t remember when Hick came out, or The Yellow Handkerchief.
You saw Hick? You’re hardcore. Yeah. I love films. It’s really funny, actually. Like I see a lot of smaller movies. But a lot of these big, epic films that everyone’s like, “You have to see.” I haven’t watched yet. Like I only watched The Godfather a couple of months ago and I watched all three while getting my hair and makeup done for Morgan every morning and it was a really great ride. It was a good way to watch those movies.
But I can’t believe you have a crush on Eddie from Hick. He plays a psycho meth addict. Crazy people are kind of my thing. I really like crazy people, or people that just I guess have a different way of coping with life that’s not considered normal and so even though his character is obviously insane and not a very good person, you can definitely see where a lot of that anger, and pain, and everything comes from, and I think that’s the interesting story.
I love Yellow Handkerchief, too. It’s so good. Kristen Stewart, another beautiful, incredibly talented woman that just I admire her career so much.
What’s your favorite love scene in a movie? My Girl, when they kiss for the first time and they pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. That’s the best. It’s so cute, and it’s so pure, and I love Thomas J.
The first place I was ever allowed to go to alone was the Blockbuster on the same street as my grandparents’ house in Florida, and I’d go on my little scooter every day and like pick out the movies and like take them home and it was my responsibility and my job, and I couldn’t really read, and so I’d just pick the boxes based on what they looked like and I was not prepared for what My Girl was going to do to me. I was just not – I was like sweet, fun story about like young kids falling in love and then, boom, just like didn’t – I couldn’t eat, cried for days, it – it really grabbed my heart very, very intensely.
What was your favorite birthday? I turned 20 a couple of weeks ago, and my parents flew in and I don’t get to see them very often and so it was really, really nice and they took me to see The Crucible and I’d said several times that the only two people I’d ever be star struck to me were Saoirse Ronan and Dan Romer, who scored Beasts of the Southern Wilds, and Saoirse was there and she was so nice and she like walked me across the, you know, the theater floor and we were talking about our movies and witches and I was just like, “I’m not okay. I’m so not chill. Like I will be chill in like a month, but until then –” and I actually said that to her. I was like, “Look, you’re so nice. I really want to be your friend, but I need some time.” She’s so nice and she’s so talented, it’s just I mean there are all these incredible women doing these very ballsy and fearless roles, and I just think it’s so wonderful to watch and it’s so inspiring.
Who, to you, is a royal? Not somebody who’s born into aristocracy – but somebody who has greatness in them. Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton, always. Tilda’s my queen. She literally is and it’s because she completely and utterly fearless, and so is Cate actually. They both are such artists and they really bring so much to each of their characters and they don’t shy away from any of the ugly parts or anything that you maybe wouldn’t see that much in movies. Though I will say that the movies that I’ve seen recently are becoming a lot ballsier. It’s an interesting time for cinema right now. A lot of scripts that I don’t think would have been made like 15 years ago are like popping up and it’s really exciting, so it’s good.
The 2016 Royals: Priyanka Chopra, Cindy Crawford, Chris Evans, Kanye West and More
Priyanka Chopra wears Burberry XO Barneys New York dress. Beauty: Burberry.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicures by Honey at Exposure NY. Set design by Philipp Haemmerle.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus wears Carolina Herrera dress; Pomellato earrings. Beauty: Nars.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Francelle. Manicures by Honey at Exposure NY. Set design by Philipp Haemmerle.
Irina Shayk wears Prada dress, harness, corset, belt, charm, agenda, tights, and shoes; Bulgari ring. Beauty: L’Oréal Paris.
Halle Berry wears Versace gown; Pasquale Bruni ring. Beauty: Revlon.
Hair by Castillo; by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicures by Honey at Exposure NY; Set design by Philipp Haemmerle.
Elle Fanning wears Gucci gown; Bulgari earrings; Dior Fine Jewelry rings; Marc Jacobs shoes. Beauty: Gucci.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Fulvia Farolfi for Chanel;Manicures by Honey at Exposure NY. Set design by Philipp Haemmerle.
Jodie Foster wears Giorgio Armani dress; Harry Winston earrings; Mish New York cuff. Beauty: Giorgio Armani.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicures by Honey at Exposure NY. Set design by Philipp Haemmerle.
Kanye West wears Yeezy Season 3 hoodie and pants. Grooming: Clinique.
Hair by Ibn Jasper at Frank Reps. Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicures by Honey at Exposure NY. Set design by Philipp Haemmerle.
Chris Evans wears Berluti tuxedo; Simon Miller shirt; Tiffany & Co. watch. Grooming: Giorgio Armani.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicures by Honey at Exposure NY. Set design by Philipp Haemmerle.
Kit Harington wears Hermès suit; Vince hoodie; Boss T-shirt. Grooming: Aramis.
Grooming for Harington by Johnny Hernandez at Fierro Agency. Manicures by Honey at Exposure NY. Set design by Philipp Haemmerle.
Ethan Hawke wears Louis Vuitton coat; Simon Miller T-shirt; AMI Alexandre Mattiussi trousers; Church’s shoes. Grooming: Dior Homme.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Fulvia Farolfi for Chanel; Manicures by Honey at Exposure NY. Set design by Philipp Haemmerle.
Rami Malek wears No. 21 sweater; Prada pants, socks, and shoes. Grooming: Chanel.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicures by Honey at Exposure NY. Set design by Philipp Haemmerle.
New Royalty: Television “When I was a teenager, I was a tomboy and had scars on my legs. But then I taught myself to take care of my body and my hair. It takes time, but if I can do it, anybody can. Today, my legs sell 12 or 15 products in my part of the world.”
Alexander McQueen jacket and dress; La Perla bra and shorts; Harry Winston ring.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
Classic Royalty: Television “I don’t approach my work from a gender point of view. If people are talented, be they men or women or transgender, I’m into it. I want to play ball, and I want to play hard. And if you can do that with me, then we’re going to get along great.”
Oscar de la Renta dress; La Perla bra.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Francelle; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
Classic Royalty: Superhero “In the 6th grade, I played the supporting lead in a play called “Crazy Camp.” I ended up dating one of the more popular girls as a result. The second the play was over, she dumped me. So, at a young age, I learned the power of getting a good role.”
Melet Mercantile T-shirt; Rag & Bone Standard Issue jeans.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
New Royalty: Superhero “In Doctor Strange, I play Baron Karl Mordo, the first person to introduce Dr. Stephen Strange into a mystical, weird, and wonderful world. Mordo can transport between dimensions, and I studied quantum physics to understand the science behind his powers. Personally, I would rather be able to make myself invisible.”
Burberry jacket and trousers; Prada sweater.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
New Royalty: Model “I hadn’t planned to be a model, but I went to beauty school and was discovered there. My big break was in 2007: the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. Being Russian, I never imagined my career would involve swimsuits—I was raised with snow, and warm coats sounded a bit better to me. A swimsuit model has to stay in shape all the time. I love food, even though people think models don’t eat.”
Miu Miu dress, stole, and stockings; ring from Stephen Russell, New York.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
Classic Royalty: Model “I grew up in a small town in Illinois, and I didn’t even know that modeling was a real job. My dad thought that ‘model’ was a nice word for prostitute. I did, however, have Calvin Klein jeans, and I knew about Brooke Shields and Seventeen magazine. That was my introduction to fashion.”
Stella McCartney dress; Curriculum Vitae bra.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
New Royalty: Fashion “I have eight older sisters, so I started thinking about fashion when I was very young. I would customize clothes on my best girlfriend—putting together a man’s shirt with a Victorian dress. And, being a classic Leo, I would always give my opinion to my sisters. I would watch them put on makeup, and I’d tell them what I thought, which wasn’t always welcome. Of course, now they all wear my clothes. They are obsessed.”
Tisci’s own Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci sweater.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
Classic Royalty: Fashion “I didn’t mind putting my name on underwear. Jockey had its name on the waistband, so why shouldn’t I? My daughter, Marci, said in an interview that it was strange to have sex with men who had my name on their underwear. I told her, ‘That’s not funny.’ But it is funny—just not when it’s your daughter.”
Klein’s own clothing.
Hair by Thom Priano for R+Co at Garren New York; Makeup by Régine Thorre; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
New Royalty: Superhero “The costume for Supergirl is cute, but it’s difficult to put on. It’s not a one-person job: There’s a bodice on top of which muscles are added, because ain’t no way that I am that muscular. And the cape is its own special thing. The costume lives under lock and key. If I wanted to wear it for Halloween, I’d have to stage a mission to steal it.”
Valentino dress; Tiffany & Co. necklace.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Fulvia Farolfi for Chanel; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
Classic Royalty: Superhero “I loved being Catwoman. I was a gymnast growing up, so I got to use all of those skills for the role. I hated cats going into it, but I learned about the psychology of them—and I came out of that movie a die-hard cat lover.”
Alexandre Vauthier dress.
Hair by Castillo; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicures by Honey at Exposure NY.
Set design by Philipp Haemmerle.
Classic Royalty: Television “On Game of Thrones, there were a couple of weeks when it looked like I was going to die. I thought, Maybe this is it. Then I found out I wasn’t going to die, so I had to keep this massive secret from everybody. I did tell my parents, though: ‘All right, Mom and Dad, you’re in on this now.’ They then went about lying to everyone. They relished it, I think. They’re quite dramatic, my parents.”
Derek Rose pajama set.
Grooming by Johnny Hernandez at Fierro Agency; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
New Royalty: Television “I am a troublemaker, for sure. I have a pretty cool scene coming up in Mr. Robot, and I’ve already talked to my makeup artist about bringing something that is not going to go over too well with the costume department: blood. A lot of blood. Our costumes are one-of-a-kind, so I could get into a lot of trouble. But you’ve got to take some risks in life.”
Prada pants, socks, and shoes.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
New Royalty: Renaissance Woman “My parents always encouraged us to do what we believed in. There’s a funny interview from when I was 5 or 6 years old: My dad is interviewing me, and my mom walks in and says, ‘You are Wonder Woman.’ That’s one of my most vivid childhood memories.”
Chanel Haute Couture dress; Cartier bracelet; Chanel flats.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
Classic Royalty: Renaissance Woman “I don’t think I’m particularly brave. I’m confident in my opinions about making films, but there are tons of things that I’m really just a child about. For instance, I have a fear of picking up the phone and asking someone, ‘Would you like to have lunch with me?’ Little things that other people learned in Adolescence 101 have always scared me.”
Saint Laurent jacket and trousers; Boss turtleneck; (right hand) Repossi ring.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
New Royalty: Independent Film “I was 10 years old, going to a small public school in Palestine, Texas, when casting directors came through and asked kids to audition for a movie. The film was The Tree of Life, directed by Terrence Malick. They saw around 10,000 kids, and I ended up getting the role. I’m 19 now, and I have been acting ever since.”
Prada jacket and pants.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Fulvia Farolfi for Chanel;Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
Set design by Philipp Haemmerle; Lighting technician: Lars Beaulieu; digital technician: Johnny Vicari; photography assistants: Felix Kim, Javier Villegas; fashion assistants: Ryann Foulke, Dena Giannini, Sam Walker, Anastasya Kolomytseva Anita Lau; hair assistants: Adlena Dignam, jennifer kim, dale delaporte; makeup assistants: Tayler Treadwell, Mariko Hirano, Robert Reyes, Takahiro Okada; set design assistants: Theo Volpatti, Ryan Stenger, Valentin Haemmerle, Matt Solis; special thanks to Highline Stages and Spring Studios, New York.
Classic Royalty: Independent Film “I did Born to Be Blue, the story of Chet Baker’s midlife crisis, because it was something I could relate to. I was 18 when Dead Poets Society came out, and that success didn’t leave me far to go. We all like to feel that we’re growing better and stronger and improving every year of our lives, but when you peak at a young age, you have a long way to fall.”
Jil Sander sweater; AMI Alexandre Mattiussi trousers.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Fulvia Farolfi for Chanel; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
Classic Royalty: Renaissance Man “To me, Will Ferrell is royalty. He is one of my personal gods. I would like Will Ferrell to play me in The Kanye West Story. Can you make that happen?”
Yeezy Season 3 sweatshirt; Hoorsenbuhs necklace.
Hair by Ibn Jasper at Frank Reps; Hair by Ibn Jasper at Frank Reps; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
New Royalty: Society “Growing up, we lived in the Waldorf Towers. My classmates used to call my sister, Paris, and me the Eloises of the Waldorf. If there were events in the ballroom, we were always sneaking in and spying on people. We did everything but order room service. Room service was off-limits.”
Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini cape and dress; Nili Lotan dress (underneath); Chopard earrings; Harry Winston necklace; Chanel Fine Jewelry rings; Wolford tights; Miu Miu pumps.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Fulvia Farolfi for Chanel; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
Classic Royalty: Society “I have always loved fashion and was lucky enough to live through the era of great couture designers. In the early ’80s, Azzedine Alaïa took a piece of jersey and draped it on me. He then took chalk and marked out the dress on my body. When I received the finished dress, it was stitched where he had placed the chalk marks. It fit like a glove then. Now it fits more like Spanx.”
RR 331 by Ralph Rucci coat and top; earrings from Stephen Russell, New York; Munnu the Gem Palace bangles; Perrin Paris gloves.
Hair by James Pecis for Oribe Hair Care; Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Manicure by Honey at Exposure NY.
